Liverpool assistant manager stays away following rift with Klopp

The BBC reports that Liverpool assistant manager Zeljko Buvac will not be involved with the first team for the rest of the season for “personal reasons”, with separate stories emerging that he has left the club permanently after a falling-out with Jurgen Klopp.

Buvac is a long-term ally and friend of Klopp, with the pair knowing each other since their playing days. When Klopp was appointed to his first managerial position at Mainz, Buvac became his assistant, and he has followed him to his subsequent roles at Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool.

Known as “The Brain” because of his tactical insights and knowledge of coaching, Buvac remains an employee of the club, with Liverpool saying his position at the club will not be affected by his absence. However, it is telling that he will not be at Klopp’s side during the most critical period of the team’s season, as they try to reach the Champions League final and secure a top four finish.

Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.